Virtual Relationships

In the time of smart phones and internet, wherethe world has become a global village, virtualrelationships have become very common. Wenormally come across news articles on people who met on the internet and end up getting married and we also come across articles about cyber crimes.

Just because you have met online and conducted your relationship virtually thus far, does not mean it will permanently remain within the confines of cyberspace. Some online relationships eventually lead to the couple meeting in an offline environment and continuing their relationship in this way. In this day and age it is now extremely commonplace to find a partner online – it does not make your relationship any more or less ‘real’.

When arguments do occur between couples in the offline world, they can often escalate quickly. This is generally down to the fact that in the heat of the moment hurtful words are exchanged and voices are raised; it is easier to take offence when you are there to witness the tone in your partner’s voice, their facial expression and body language. When you argue in an offline environment you are also under pressure to react instantly, which means you are likely to say things you don’t mean – things that, once spoken, you cannot take back. This can have a disastrous effect on a relationship and may even lead to a separation.

In an online relationship however, you have the ability to communicate with your partner whenever you want, in whatever format you want (be that text, audio or video) and at whatever pace you feel comfortable with. This means you have the time to properly consider and articulate what it is you want to say – for example you can type a message, read it, revise it and then make the decision whether to send it or not. This is especially useful when dealing with emotionally strenuous situations and may mean that many an argument is nipped in the bud, if not completely avoided.

Sometimes physical presenceis very important. Two people can date each othervia internet but at some point they will need physicalpresence which is not always possible and brings therelationship to an end.

It is very important for us to beextremely careful about the information we sharewith people on internet. Every day we come acrossmany cyber bullying, cyber stalking and cyber fraudcases. We also come across many cases where personalinformation, pictures or videos given out to one wrongperson turns out to be harmful for the other person.Cyber crimes are very common.

In the end what matters is how carefully you use the internet to connect with people. One wrong person and one wrong move can destroy people and at the sametime it helps professional people to make money and getmore business. How virtual relationships end dependson us, crime or love; it’s all about how careful we are. Besafe. Be smart. Be virtual.